4 days ago
Singapore public healthcare institutions to record all Kpod cases, confiscate vapes
FILE PHOTO: Electronic vape seized at Custom Cargo KLIA Complex in Sepang on June 19, 2025.–AZMAN GHANI/The Star
SINGAPORE: Public healthcare institutions have been told to record all suspected and confirmed etomidate-linked vaping cases, in a sign that the health authorities are treating vapes laced with etomidate more seriously.
In a circular dated July 9, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said medical practitioners should also get patients to surrender their e-vapourisers and consider sending their urine samples for testing.
This is because both authorities noticed a worrying increase in the number of e-vapoUrisers detected containing etomidate in Singapore between 2024 and 2025.
Such devices are also known as 'Kpods', which the authorities have recently intensified crackdowns on.
The circular highlighted the report in March by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which said etomidate had been notably detected in illicit drug markets in East and South-East Asia.
Etomidate is a medicinal ingredient used in clinical practice as an anaesthetic agent and is classified as a poison under the Poisons Act. This means a licence is required for its importation or sale.
Etomidate found in vapes or supplied in oil capsules or formulations to be inhaled directly into users' lungs are not medical products and are prohibited.
Under the Act, those found in possession of or using pods containing etomidate can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$10,000 (US$7,798), or both.
MOH and HSA said that because of the rising concerns, they are studying the harm and addictiveness of etomidate use in vapes, through those who seek medical attention.
These studies will inform and shape policy, including whether existing regulations need to be tightened or amended.
On July 12, MOH and the Ministry of Home Affairs said they were considering further steps to better address the vaping issue, including whether current laws for enforcement could be enhanced.
The number of cases involving etomidate-laced vape pods has nearly tripled in Singapore to 28 cases in the first six months of 2025, compared with ten in the whole of 2024.
The MOH-HSA circular was addressed to emergency departments, urgent care centres, departments of psychiatry of public healthcare institutions, and the National Addictions Management Service Centre at the Institute of Mental Health.
In it, the authorities said medical practitioners should reassure patients that enforcement actions will not be taken against them for previous vape use if they voluntarily come forward to seek medical help.
Medical practitioners were told to observe symptoms and signs like seizures, dizziness, confusion, slurred speech, coughing, arrhythmias and thermal injury to airways.
In the circular, the authorities invoked powers under the Healthcare Services Act, requiring licensed medical practitioners to comply with the instructions.
Those who fail to do so can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to S$10,000.
During medical consultation, medical practitioners should confiscate the vapes, place them in ziplock bags and lock them up.
They should also consider sending patients' urine samples to HSA for toxicology testing.
MOH and HSA said members of the public who have sought assistance through the Health Promotion Board's QuitLine may be directed to seek medical help at public health institutions' emergency departments.
After treatment, these emergency departments may refer patients to the QuitLine on 1800-438-2000 for continued support.
Participants of HPB's I Quit programme need not worry about being fined or prosecuted, as it does not presume they have or use vaping products.
But if they are caught using or possessing such items, then they will be prosecuted.
MOH and HSA previously said more than S$41 million worth of vapes and related components were seized between January 2024 and March 2025.
More than 14,600 people were caught by the authorities in 2024, compared with 4,916 in 2022. - The Straits Times/ANN
